A self-care plan can help you enhance your health and wellbeing, manage your stress, and maintain professionalism as a worker with young people. Learn to identify activities and practices that support your wellbeing as a professional and help you to sustain positive self-care in the long-term.

Self-care is a personal matter. Everyone’s approach will be different. It relates to what you do at work and outside of work to look after your holistic wellbeing so that you can meet your personal and professional commitments. The following are a few ways to build a solid self care plan:

• Engage in regular supervision or consulting with a more experienced colleague
• Set up a peer-support group
• Be strict with boundaries between clients/students and staff
• Develop a regular sleep routine.
• Aim for a healthy diet.
• Take lunch breaks.
• Go for a walk at lunchtime.
• Take your dog for a walk after work.
• Get some exercise before/after work regularly.
• Seek and engage in external supervision or regularly consult with a more experienced colleague.
• Engage with a non-work hobby.
• Turn off your email and work phone outside of work hours.
• Make time for relaxation.
• Make time to engage with positive friends and family.
• Develop friendships that are supportive.
• Write three good things that you did each day.
• Play a sport and have a coffee together after training.
• Go to the movies or do something else you enjoy.
• Keep meeting with your parents’ group or other social group.
• Talk to you friend about how you are coping with work and life demands.
• Engage in reflective practices like meditation.
• Go on bush walks.
• Go to church/mosque/temple.
• Do yoga.
• Reflect with a close friend for support.
• Prioritize close relationships in your life e.g. with partners, family and children.
• Attend the special events of your family and friends.
• Arrive to work and leave on time every day.

Creating your own self-care plan

• Create a self-care plan template
• Fill your self-care plan with activities that you enjoy and that support your wellbeing.
• Keep this in a place where you can see it every day. Keeping it visible will help you to think about and commit to the strategies in your plan. You can also share it with your supervisor, colleagues, friends and family so they can support you in your actions.
• Stick to your plan and practice the activities regularly. Just like an athlete doesn’t become fit by merely ‘thinking’ about fitness, as a worker you can’t expect to perform effectively without putting into practice a holistic plan for your wellbeing.
• Re-assess how you are going at the end of one month and then three months.

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